US tells court it will challenge Hobby Lobby order

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Lawyers for the federal government plan to fight an order that lets Hobby Lobby and a sister company avoid fines while they fight some sorts of birth control for its workers.

Hobby Lobby and the Mardel Christian bookstore chain object to certain forms of contraception. They said that complying with the new federal health care law would either violate their religious beliefs or cost them millions of dollars in fines.

Oklahoma City federal judge Joe Heaton granted an injunction against the fines in July.

Lawyers for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services filed a notice in federal court Tuesday saying it would lodge an appeal. A lawyer representing Hobby Lobby and Mardel’s interests said he was puzzled, saying the 10th Circuit has resolved much of the case.